Where do you write your books?
That’s one of the questions a thriller author like myself gets asked plenty of times by readers.
Many of them think that an author wants to be left alone to write to write a novel – away from people or noise or distractions of any kind. Secluded away in a quiet spot and cut off from the rest of the world.
And yes, I imagine there are some authors who write that way.
Me, I’m not one of them.
Maybe it’s because I’m a longtime journalist, who has written stories for years in a crowded newsroom – but I find that that’s still the kind of busy and active environment that inspires me when I’m doing fiction too.
I like a lot of noise around me.
A lot of potential distractions.
And, most importantly of all, I enjoy being surrounded by other people when I write – not sitting alone.
SILENT ISLAND, my 20th thriller novel, comes out on October 5.
Here are some of the places where I wrote it – just like where I’ve written many of my previous books.
1) THE WRITERS ROOM
This is a place in New York City for writers to get together and…well, write. Terrific views of Manhattan, a big kitchen to eat and drink in, even couches to take a nap if you want. It’s like going to an office, except everyone else there is a writer working on their own project. Very cool place to write a book.
2) COFFEE SHOPS
I do a lot of my writing in coffee shops or – during the pandemic for the past year and a half – on the street at tables outside the coffee shops. Here is one of my coffee & writing spots in Princeton, N.J. I drink a lot of coffee and produce plenty of pages at these kinds of places.
3) THE BEACH
Writing at the beach is one of my favorite places to feel inspired. Sometimes I just lie in the sand with a pen and paper (or else my iPad) and write with the sound of the waves and beach crowds around me. Other times, like here in the picture, I sit at a table along the beach or an ocean harbor. This is Martha’s Vineyard, where my story in SILENT ISLAND is based. All about a female detective trying to track down a mass murderer on this normally peaceful resort island. So I’m doing research here – as well as writing – at the same time at the beach!
4) MY BACK PORCH
I live in a condo community so there’s plenty of activity going on right outside my door. Dogs barking, people talking and traffic on the highway which runs near my place. This is my back porch where I frequently write. And all I have to do to get there is take a few steps outside. Perfect location.
5) MY OFFICE
Eventually, of course, I need to work in an office to put the final touches on a book. Here is my office. But it’s not particularly quiet either. When I do work in an office, I turn rock music on and blast it high while I’m at the computer. The louder the music, the better for me. I read once that Stephen King loves to play music while he writes. Hey, if it works for Stephen King…
The bottom line, of course, is that an author simply has to find the best place (or places) to write a book.
Different authors have different favorite spots.
Well, these are mine….
Dana Perry is a New York City journalist and an author who writes mystery thrillers featuring Detective Abby Pearce on the island of Martha’s Vineyard (SILENT ISLAND, HER OCEAN GRAVE) and NYC newspaper reporter Jessie Tucker (THE GOLDEN GIRL, THE SILENT VICTIM).
